Circuit-breaker.



PATENTBD SEPT. 29, 1903.

E. W. STULL. CIRCUIT BREAKER-v APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 2, 1902.

H0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented September 29, 1908. y

'PATENT OFFICE.

EMMETT IV. STULL, OF .IOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING OMPANY, OE PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA,

SYLVANIA.

A CORPORATION CF PENN- CIRCUIT-BREAKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,947, dated September 29, 1903. Application filed January 2, 1902. Serial No. 88,045. (No model.)

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMMETT W, STULL, of Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Circuit-Breakers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to circuit-breakers, and is more particularly designed to providean instrument of this character which can be automatically reset from a distance by the operation of a switch. In my Patent No. 665,143, of January 15, 1901, I have described and claimed, in connection with a system of electric train control, means by which an open circuit-breaker anywhere on the train can be reset by the motorman from the parzo ticular car which he occupies. A circuitbreaker embodying the present invention is particularly adapted for use in the manner described in that patent; but it is also useful in connection with any system of train control, and, in fact, wherever it may be desirable to usea circuit-breaker which can be automatically closed or reset from a more or less distant point.

My invention -consists in the novel features of construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, all substantially as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view, partly in vertical section and partly in front elevation, of a circuitbreaker embodying my invention and also showing diagrammatically the circuit of the resetting-magnet. Fig. 2 is a side view of 4o the circuit-breaker; Eig. 3, a top plan view,

and Fig. 4 a detail view showing the locking and trip device.

In the gures the numeral 1 designates the usual backing or support to which are se- 45 cured terminal lugs or brackets 2.

3 designates laminated arms of conducting material secured to the brackets 2 and carrying the relatively fixed contacts 4c.

5 is the movable or bridging contact which is mounted on the upper end portion of a vertically-sliding plunger-rod 6.

7 is a chamber of insulating material, which surrounds the contacts, and S is a magnet whose coil is included in the main circuit and has the combined function of a tripping and blow-out magnet. ture of this magnet, and 10 an adjustable tension-spring by which its action is controlled. The rod 6 is normally held in circuit-closing position against the action of a coil-spring 10 by means of a latch 11, pivoted to the arm 12 of the rod and having a pointed end portion which has an unstable bearing upon the surface of an arm extension 13 of the armature 9. The latch 11 (see Fig. 4:) is held against movement in one direction beyond a vertical position by a brace 14C and is normall 1 held in vertical position by a spring 15. When the current in the magnet 8 reaches the predetermined limit for which the instrument is set, it attracts the armature 9 against the action of the spring 10, and the resulting movement of the arm 13 is sufficient to throw lthe latch 11 out of its vertical position, when its point, underthe pressure of the spring 10, will slide on the surface of said arm and release the rod 6, which is immediately thrown down to open the circuit by the action of the said spring.

-16 designates the coil of a resetting-magnet placed about a hollow core 17, which preferably forins an integral part of a casing 18, composed of magnetic material and surround ing and inclosing the coil at its sides and top and which is rigidly secured to the support 1, as shown in Eig. 2. The top portion of this casing is formed with a central hollow boss 19, which receives the lower end portion of the rod 6.

20 is a rod or plunger of non-magnetic material, which extends through the hollow core 17 and is secured at its` lower end portion to an armature 2l. This armature 21 consists of a circular body having a surrounding upturned peripheral fiange 22,whose upper edge portion is formed with an inwardly-extending lip 23, which is arranged to tit neatly but movably a iange or lip 211 on the casing 18 9 is the pivoted arma- -ture 2l attracted, thereby raising the plunger in the manner substantially as shown in Fig. 1. This armature, together with the plunger 20, is normally supported in the position shown in Fig. l by means of non -magnetic brackets 24, secured to and dependinglfrom the casing 18, leaving an air-gap 25 between the armature and the end of the magnet.

26 is a thin plate of brass or othernonmagnetic material, which closes in the bottom of the casing 18 and renders it dirt-tight. It also acts as a buffer for the armature when the latter is attracted and forms a break in the magnetic circuit, which prevents the armature from being held up by residual magnetism.

27 is a butter-piece for the plunger-rod 6, inserted in the upper end of the rod 20.

28lis a knob or handpiece by means of which the breaker may be closed manually when desired. The coilv 1G is connected in circuit with any suitable source of currentsupply, or it may be connected in a shunt around the circuit-breaker, as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. l. Upon closing this circuit the magnet is lenergized and the arma- 20 and actuating the rod G to bring its contact into circuit-closing relation with the fixed contacts, in which positionit is retained by the latch 1l.

Owing to the provision of the close-fitting lips or flanges 23 and 24E there is, when the armature is at its greatest distance from the magnet, practically but one break in the magnetic circuit, that being the air-gap 25. The magnet therefore has a strong initial pull to overcome the inertia of the parts. As soon, however, as the armature has moved toward the magnet sufficiently to bring the lip 23 above the lip 24, at which time the air-gap 25 is considerably shortened, a new air-gap is introduced into the circuit. The edect of this is of course to increase the resistance of the circuit and tend to make the pull of the magnet more uniform throughout its range of action, thereby preventing a too violent contact engagement. The general construction of the magnet, by which the coil is incased in magnetic material, prevents very little loss by magnetic leakage and makes its action highly eective. It is obvious that, if desired, the two rods 2O and 6 may be made in one piece, the only advantage in the construc tion shown being that the contact-carrying rod is nnharnpered by the armature and can be actuated by the spring l0- to break the circuitsomewhat more quickly and positively.

My invention is not limited to the particular arrangement of thecontacts and blowout coil which I have herein shown and described and is susceptible to various other changes in details. Hence I do not Wish to limit myself to the exact construction and arrangement shown.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a circuit-breaker, the'combination ofY cooperative fixed and movable contacts, a

plunger-rod carrying the movable contact or contacts, a pivoted spring-pressed latch car'- ried by the said rod, a tripping-magnet having its' armature engaged by said latch and arranged to trip the same, and a second magnet having its coil in an independent circuit and its armature arranged to actuate the said rod to close the movable contact upon the fixed contacts.

' 2. In a circuit-breaker, a resetting-magnet and its armature, said magnet and armature having cooperating portions which are substantially in contact with each other when the magnet is denergized, but which separate to introduce the resistance of an air-gap into the magnet-circuit as the armature closes.

3. In a circuit-breaker, a resetting-magnet consisting of a coil, a casing of magnetic materia] having a core for the coil and surrounding it at the sides and at one end, a thin sheet of non-magnetic material closing the other end of said casing,and an armature having a rod or plunger arranged to slide in said core and to actuate a movable contact of the circuit-breaker.

4t. In a circuit-breaker, a resetting-magnet having a casing of magnetic material surrounding its coil at the sides and at one end, and also having a hollow core for the coil, and an armature at the open side of said casing havinga rod or plunger extending through the hollow core, said armature and casing having cooperating portions which, as the armature closes and the resistance of its airgap decreases, separate to form a second airgap in the magnetic circuit.

5. In a circuit-breaker, the combination of cooperative fixed and movable contact-s, a plunger-rod carrying the movable contact, a latch pivoted to an arm of said rod, and a magnet having a pivoted armature formed with an extension on which said latch is arranged to have an unstable bearing.

6. In a circuit-breaker, the combination of cooperative fixed and movable contacts, a plunger-rod carrying the movable contact, a latch and trip device'for said rod, a resettingmagnet havinga hollow core into which said rod extends, and an armature for said magnet having a rod also extending into said hollow core and arranged to engage and actuate the plunger-rod.

In testimony whereof I have afxed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

EMMETT W. S'lUL-L.

Witnesses:

CoRA G. COX, H. W. SMITH.

IIO

IIS 

